Grovemade’s brand new maple MacBook dock review

Hey, I’m Chris. I wrote this article and I’m also the founder and Editor of DailyTekk. Lets connect on Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube. Check back daily!

There’s really not a lot to say about a dock like this. It’s kind of one of those things that you either like how it looks or you don’t. Personally, I’m a sucker for wood tech accessories because I really like the way they compliment the industrial metal designs of things like phones, laptops and tablets. And for me, this dock is no exception: the contrast between the dock’s Walnut and my MacBook Air’s aluminum looks really nice as you can see.

But using this dock isn’t just about aesthetics: there is one big benefit to using it and that is that you can save some serious space on your desk which can be a major benefit (as long as you don’t want to use your laptop as a second screen).

When your laptop is resting in the dock you’re going to have a lot of cables protruding out of the sides so it’s not going to be quite as clean as you might have thought originally if you were just envisioning your MacBook sitting in the dock looking awesome. But that’s alright — it looks as good (or better) than any dock like this can.

In the past I’ve used the BookArc from Twelve South and, while that did look cool and distinctive, I found it to be too matchy-matchy for my taste. Again, I personally prefer that wood and metal contrast — at least for right now, in 2016. I’d also note that how that I like this dock’s small footprint. Again, compared to the BookArc it takes up a bit less space.

There are a few nice touches on this dock. The bottom is corked to provide some traction which helps keep your dock from sliding around. It’s not the grippiest solution I’ve ever seen — and how much travel you see will depend on the surface you place it on — but it’s definitely usable and keeps your desk from getting scuffed up as well.

On the inside of the dock you’ll see some felt squares which are obviously there to keep your dock from scratching your computer. That’s great except if you use a case — even a thin one — you’re probably going to have to flip your laptop over and sit it in the dock upside down which is really no big deal. Skins, on the other hand, should work just fine with this dock but it’s worth noting that this dock works best with a naked MacBook (which fit really snug and securely).

Now in terms of quality this is a really well-built product (as I’ve come to expect from Grovemade). While the wood it surprisingly light weight it’s also very solid which means you’ll probably end up wanting to change the aesthetic of your desk before this dock wears out on you. In other words, it’s going to last for years and years.

So you’ve got $79 to burn, are looking for a small dock that can help you free up some desk space while looking great in the process and are cool not using a case on your MacBook then I’d say dock it up!